The Scariest Thing Known to Writers

If you’ve ever tried to write a paper (or a poem, a song, a story … a blog post), you know: the absolute scariest thing a writer can see is a blank page.

You’ve been there. It’s 6:00 on Friday night, and your paper is due at 11:59. So here you are, sitting at your laptop, having a staring contest with an empty Word document. And the Word document is winning.

It shouldn’t be that hard—you’ve poured over the assignment instructions, taken detailed notes from your professor; you know exactly what’s expected of you, but the words won’t come! You’ve been diagnosed with blank page syndrome, and the prognosis is terminal … at least for your grade.

But never fear! There’s hope yet. Here are a few quick tips for how you can overcome every writer’s worst nightmare.

Don’t Overthink It

I know what you’re thinking. The assignment’s worth 200 points (or more). If you turn in a bunch of word soup, your GPA will seriously suffer. This paper has to be good.

But here’s the thing: the final draft is all that has to be good. You haven’t made it that far yet! When you’re working on the first draft, it’s more important to get something on the page than to make sure it’s 4.0 quality. If you’re thinking too hard about your grade right now, you won’t have anything to turn in at all. So go ahead, write poorly! Get that word soup on paper. You’ll have more time to overthink your editing if you do.

Talk It Out

The most fun writing center appointments I’ve had are brainstorming appointments. The student comes in with a blank document, the assignment prompt, and no idea how to get started. I sit them down and say, “Tell me about this paper.” Almost every time, they launch into a five-minute speech on the topic and what they think and feel and believe about it. “Okay… so why don’t you write that?” Their eyes light up. “I can do that?” Absolutely!

A lot of times, people already know exactly what they want to say about a topic. There’s just some sort of censor in their brain telling them that’s not appropriate to write. But why not? If it’s something you’re passionate about, your paper suddenly becomes ten times more interesting to read. So if you’re suffering from blank page syndrome, go grab a friend, a parent, or a roommate and talk to them about your topic. Odds are, you’ll realize you have a lot more to say about it than you thought you did.

Craft Your Outline

It can be hard to get our brains working when we’ve faced them with a daunting task like “1,000 words” or “four pages, double-spaced.” Four whole pages on just Medieval European art? We don’t want to do it and it sounds scary hard, so we just shut down. Instead, break it down into bite-sized pieces!

Let’s use that Medieval European art paper as an example. The first step is to find a few sub-topics within that main topic; maybe you could discuss the period’s artistic themes and inspirations, artists, and some major works of art. Each of those topics can take up a page (250 words), so you’re already 3/4 of the way there. Add an introduction and a conclusion at half a page each (125 words), and you’re done!

Do you see what we just did? Writing a 1,000-word paper is hard, but writing a 250-word section is much easier. And if you come up with more topics, those numbers get even smaller. You’ve basically tricked yourself into thinking the paper’s not as hard as it seems—because it’s not! You just have to get your brain into a mode where it’s ready to work.

Come to The Writing Center!

Of course, if you need help writing, you can always come see us at the Writing Center! The writing coaches are all ready and willing to help you with anything you need, whether that’s brainstorming, formatting, or making sure every last comma is in its proper place. So go ahead, hop on over to www.liberty.edu/writing and make an appointment! We’re excited to see you!